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The Foods That Will Help to Increase Your Metabolism

If you’re watching what you eat, but not losing weight like you were hoping to do, maybe it’s time to rev up your metabolism. There are certain foods that can help to increase your metabolism. In other words—burns calories.

Your body gets the energy it needs from food through your metabolism. Our metabolism is a process that converts the food we eat into fuel our bodies need to power everything we do.

Here’s how it works:

You eat food.

Your body breaks it down into its simplest forms of carbohydrates, protein, and fat.

The calories in those components are converted to energy, used by your cells (and tissues) to grow and repair themselves.

When you’re young your metabolism burns through the food you eat very quickly. But as you get older, your metabolism slows down. You body doesn’t burn calories as quickly, which makes it harder to lose weight. In fact, your metabolism starts slowing by as much as 2 to 4 percent around age 25.

Here are some foods you can eat to increase your metabolism, keep your calorie-burning in high gear, and control weight gain. So, let’s look at some of the foods that may help get your resting metabolism moving again.

According to the Whole Grains Council, look for foods marked “100% whole grain.” The 100% stamp assures you that a food contains a full serving or more of whole grain in each labeled serving and that all the grain is whole grain.

Go Nuts to Increase Your Metabolism

A study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially in walnuts, may enhance the activity of certain genes that control fat burning. That’s a fancy way to say walnuts may help to boost your metabolism. A small handful of walnuts each day will do the trick, but if walnuts aren’t your thing, how about some…

Almonds—rich in the amino acid L-arginine, they actually can help you burn more fat and carbs during workouts.

Brazil nuts—a good source of selenium, which keeps your thyroid gland healthy. This is important because your thyroid gland keeps your metabolism moving.

Pistachios—low in calories and high in protein, potassium and fiber.

Cashews—they’re high in magnesium, which helps digestion.

Peanuts—technically a legume, they are packed with fiber and protein and will make you feel fuller longer.

Coffee and Tea May Help Increase Your Metabolism

Studies show caffeine can increase your metabolic rate by 3 to 11 percent. How? Caffeine stimulates your nervous system, which sends direct signals to your fat cells that say, “Break down fat!” You may feel some of the same effects from tea. So, the next time you’re eating breakfast and having a cup of coffee, you may also increase your metabolism.

But you can get too much of a good thing. Other studies discovered your body can build a tolerance to the fat-burning effects of caffeine. The FDA and most doctors recommend no more than 100 to 200 milligrams of caffeine per day, or about one to two cups of coffee.

Hot Peppers Increase Your Metabolism

How about putting a little spice in your life? Some studies link eating hot peppers to an increase in metabolism. Researches says the credit actually goes to the capsaicin (kap-sey-uh-sin) in the peppers. Capsaicin increases blood circulation and metabolic rate, making your body burn fat faster. It’s found in chili peppers, jalapenos and cayenne peppers, among others.

Drink Water to Increase Your Metabolism

As you can see, you can eat lots of foods each day to increase your metabolism, but keep this in mind: Regardless of how you alter your diet, regular exercise also will be needed to help keep your metabolism moving. If you want to learn more about weight loss to improve your health, download our guide: “5 Steps to Healthier Eating.” In it you’ll find information on how to read the nutrition food label and why water is such an important part of your diet.